


Letting 'I Dare Not' Wait Upon 'I Would'

by micehell



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Drama, M/M, Romance, based on the last episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-10-13
Updated: 2007-10-13
Packaged: 2017-11-12 03:23:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/486116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/micehell/pseuds/micehell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He didn't feel like waiting anymore</p>
            </blockquote>





	Letting 'I Dare Not' Wait Upon 'I Would'

**Author's Note:**

> This really does make more sense if you remember the way the last episode ended: The five of them are getting ready to go on a mission, and Vala's teasing Teal'c, trying to get him to tell her what happened in the future that's now not going to happen. Daniel kids her by saying that Teal'c told him some of the things in the Asgard database, and then starts quoting Earth adages at her, which the others all join in on. The adages are all used (though not in sequence), in that the story's actually worked around them, though I in no way guarantee that the fit will always be perfect. *snicker*
> 
> One last thing, about the names. Teal'c is so very set in using people's full names, but it was so awkward to try to follow his convention, so unless he's actually saying their names out loud, they're Cam, Daniel, Sam, etc. Sorry to offend any purists out there, but there you go. ;)

Teal'c hadn't really told Daniel anything of the Asgard's knowledge, but he smiled as his friend teased Vala -- a precursor of what's to come, Teal'c very carefully didn't say -- and thought there were truths in the Tau'ri expressions that one aging Jaffa might very well take to heart.

_Better late than never_

All those years he'd sat by, waiting. Waiting while Sam solved their time problem. Waiting for their mission to finally be completed. But, in an odd way, even though they'd succeeded, he'd wasted that time. Things could easily have turned out very differently, with no salvation at the end. He'd bought that salvation willingly, with years only he could spare, but now they made him very aware of the clock that was still ticking for him while everyone else's had been reset, and of the choices he hadn't made while he'd been waiting. Looking at the young faces of his teammates, hearing their echoed _Indeed_ , consanguineous in ways that he felt more than blood, Teal'c was content with the price he'd paid.

But he didn't feel like waiting anymore.

_Nothing ventured, nothing gained_

None of them had mentioned another Tau'ri expression, _opportunity knocks but once_ , and Teal'c could only hope that was a good omen. He'd ignored Cam's knocking for years, and even though he knew this Cam hadn't lived through most of them, Teal'c had lived by Cam through every one. He'd watched the man struggle to deal with the constraints they'd all lived under, to deal with the loss of flying and freedom. It had made him edgier than the man who stood by Teal'c now, the one wearing a somewhat sheepish grin, an apology for future actions he'd guessed at from an awareness of his own limitations, but all of that boundless optimism still in place.

Teal'c had also watched Cam slowly, year by year, withdraw from him, no longer following him around like an eager puppy. Instead he'd raced the limits of ship trying to sweat out all the excess energy, only to be drawn up short in front of Daniel's room, a curious look of loss on his face. Offset against all the times the man had dogged Teal'c's steps, it wasn't enough to quell his hopes, but it did make him wonder if opportunity _would_ knock again. Or at least be willing to open the door if he knocked in turn.

He thought, _I can only try_ , and then frowned, remembering another bit of wisdom. _I can only do_ , he amended, nodding his head. After all there was no try.

_Jack of all trades, master of none_

All of Teal'c's other relationships had been with people he'd inherently understood. Drey'auc, Shau'nac, Ishta, even Bra'tac, had all come from a similar background to his, had all had that commonality of upbringing to make the signals easy for him to read. And while he had many points in common with Cam, Teal'c had been confounded by the Tau'ri too many times to simply approach the man without a plan.

He decided that the best way to handle his problem was to treat it like a mission. He'd had a momentary vision of O'Neill shaking his head at the decision, but then for all that O'Neill seemed more adept at the social niceties than Teal'c himself -- not that he much bothered to use them -- he'd still had plenty of difficulties in his relationship with Sam, let alone the one with Daniel, so Teal'c felt fairly secure in not using him for a role model.

Armed with a goal and a method, all that was left for Teal'c to do was devise his strategy for the initial approach. Years of living in close quarters had made him very aware of Cam's general preferences in most things, but how he behaved off duty here, on Earth, was something that he was going to have to learn. A lifetime of fighting had made him appreciate the value of caution, of approaching a mission with good intel and a sound strategy in hand, and he planned to be well prepared before he started this one.

It was a shame, then, that nothing went according to plan. Certainly not his subtle checking out of the lay of the land around Cam's apartment complex. He probably should have expected to stand out a little. 6'3", and built like a… well, like a really big man, he was going to pretty much stand out everywhere. But he was still a little surprised when Cam came out to meet him, a slightly wary look in his eyes as he asked, "What's up?"

Since it had happened on his third pass by the apartments, Teal'c wondered if perhaps that hadn't been a mistake in strategy, as well. But then he'd always tended more towards the _grab them by the throat until they agree or die_ school of thought, so strategy, like subtleness, was perhaps not his strong suit.

"I was simply passing by," was all he could think to say on such short notice. He didn't need Cam's raised eyebrows to tell him that the smooth handling of awkward social gaffes, like strategy and subtleness, was also not his strong suit.

_Beggars can't be choosers_

It certainly wasn't how he'd hoped to get in the apartment, but Teal'c hadn't quibbled when he'd been invited in. Even while Cam played the good host, offering food and drinks that neither of the wanted, inviting him to sit on the couch, Teal'c debated what his best course from there was. He could always just visit for a while, and then fall back and regroup. But his objective had already been half-reached just by being there, just them alone, no SGC, no teammates needing their attention. And his quarry would be on his guard now, so while it wasn't what he'd planned for, Teal'c was going to use the opportunity he'd been handed. Snatching victory back from defeat was most certainly one of his strong suits.

The next five minutes taught Teal'c a number of things. One was that Cam, like so many of the Tau'ri, could talk about nothing far longer than Teal'c had the patience for. Two was that it didn't matter how much you cared for someone, unless you were a meteorologist -- or perhaps planning a trip -- hearing them talk about the weather for any length of time was incredibly boring. And three, there were no good ways to segue from talks about the weather to mentioning that you were really interested in having a relationship with the person currently boring you to death.

At a loss at how to turn to a subject that would work, and even remembering the recent lesson on exactly how adept at subtle he could be, as in not very, Teal'c sent his hand on a small recce, fingers moving to slide over Cam's, trying to communicate through touch what he couldn't find the opening to say.

He'd been hoping for smooth, but like all his other plans that day, it had failed miserably. His hand came down with more force than he'd meant to, and they both startled a little at the smack of flesh. His nerves probably made it sound louder than it was, but Teal'c still didn't think it was the best move he could have made.

Cam was looking at their hands, still awkwardly tangled, when he said, "I take it this is your way of asking me out?"

Teal'c couldn't tell from either his tone or his face which answer would please him, but Teal'c hadn't come this far just to back out now. "Indeed."

The fingers under his turned, tightening around his hand, and Cam nodded. But he didn't say anything. And he didn't look happy.

_Look before you leap_

Teal'c wasn't surprised by the rush of sadness that went through him. He never would have attempted this relationship if he hadn't felt strongly for the other man. But Cam's silence didn't speak well of a future together, and Teal'c wished that he'd held his tongue -- or, really, his hand in this case -- and hoped that they could salvage their working relationship out of the awkwardness that he'd created.

He allowed himself a moment of regret before he said anything. He knew he hadn't imagined Cam's interest in him, and could only assume that his own apparent disinclination had dulled the other man's ardor. And while Teal'c's hesitation had sprung out of duty to his people, out of being unsure of how a relationship between them could work, out of not quite believing he was Cam's sole interest, he still knew he should have acted on his own attraction long before now, and so had only himself to blame.

There was no easy way to segue from vague courtship into the _we can still work together_ speech either, but Teal'c had gutted through worse. "Please do not feel unsettled. I will not press my suit further, and I'm sure we can still-"

But thankfully Cam cut him off before he could descend further into his Regency era romance role. "Stop. Just stop for a minute."

Which Teal'c did, but one minute turned into five long, silent ones, and while he could see the fight going on in Cam, he didn't know what it was about. He kept falling into the mistake of expecting everything about the man to be right on the surface even when he knew better.

"Are you doing this because you can't have him?"

Teal'c was grateful the silence was over, but it would have been better if he'd actually understood the question. "What?"

Cam waved an impatient hand, like Teal'c was being deliberately obtuse. "Daniel. Are you asking me out now because you saw in the future that he and Vala got together, and you're willing to settle for me now?"

He didn't know if he were more surprised at the fact that Cam knew that Daniel and Vala had basically married each other in the future, or by the idea that he was settling now. "How did you know?" is what he wound up asking.

Teal'c hadn't thought about what his own question would sound like until Cam dropped the hand that he'd still been holding, bitter amusement on his face as he said, "Right. I should have known."

Things were slipping away from him, but Cam's reaction meant he still had a chance, and Teal'c didn't intend to lose it. He grabbed the hand back, shaking his head. "Not that. I meant how did you know that Daniel Jackson and Vala 'got together', as you say, in the future."

Cam snorted. "Like I couldn't guess that one day he's going to figure out that she's not just fooling when she chases after him."

Teal'c nodded, because it was true, but he himself hadn't seen it. But then he'd apparently been blind about a number of things. And Cam was blind about others. "I am not in love with Daniel Jackson."

That got him a laugh, but it didn't sound particularly amused. "Sure thing, big guy."

Cam wasn't the first person to think that that Teal'c was interested in Daniel. Even O'Neill had asked him about it once, both of them stuck in a prison with nothing better to do except wait for the others. O'Neill had had his reasons for wanting to know, something to do with poaching on someone else's preserve, though Teal'c still couldn't see what illegal hunting had to do with anything. But while Teal'c was fairly protective of Daniel -- and he could see where people might translate that into something else -- it was because Daniel just seemed to need a keeper, and Teal'c, having a fondness for the man even if it weren't romantic in nature, had decided he was probably the best suited for the job. "I care for Daniel Jackson, as I do for Samantha Carter and General O'Neill. Even for Vala. But I have never touched any of their hands in an effort to ask them out, nor do I wish to."

That got him a truer laugh, but Cam was studying him like he was a puzzle. Perhaps trying to read the truth in his expression, which, as it didn't tend to change much, was probably pointless, but Teal'c smiled at him just in case.

Cam smiled back, but it was still cautious. Teal'c knew that he'd given the man reasons to be cautious around him, far beyond his potential feelings for Daniel. He could remember times that his own lack of control had ended with Cam being on the other side of a punch from him, or on the other side of the wall that Teal'c had put up to keep his attraction at bay. But Teal'c had his own reasons for caution as well. "In the alternate future, you seemed to be… pining. For Daniel, maybe, or Vala. I could not tell."

It wasn't phrased as a question, but Cam didn't try to pretend that he hadn't been asked whether he was potentially settling himself. He tilted his head to look at Teal'c, his lips pursed in thought. "In that other future, did I get together with anyone?"

He'd promised himself not to tell them what had happened, and here he was just blurting things out, but he saw no choice in this matter. "No."

Cam nodded. "See, that might have been it right there."

Teal'c knew the dangers of what Daniel called the fallacy of attribution, and what Teal'c called making assumptions without enough information, and yet he still found he fell prey to it sometimes. "You were envious of what they had, not with whom they had it."

Again he hadn't really asked, but Cam answered anyway. "Probably, though as I kind of wasn't there, I can't say for sure." He paused, then admitted, "I might have been a little, um, irritated that Daniel had taken you out of circulation and yet had someone else. It's been kind of frustrating."

At least Teal'c hadn't been the only one making assumptions. "I understand. But why did you not say something?"

"Teal'c, I'm in the military in case you missed that. There are rules against telling, so I have to be careful. And it wasn't like I could have been much more obvious even if I had come right out and said something. Sometimes I'd even get my hopes up, 'cause you'd get all oddly protective, like that time you wouldn't let me bomb that dragon's ass back to the fairy tale it came from, but then on the other hand, you tend to beat the crap out of me from time to time, too, so, really, I'm not thinking I was too far off in letting things stand the way they were."

_The best things in life are free_

Teal'c remembered what Cam had looked like after their encounter at Arkad's stronghold. It had been necessary, even Cam had thought so, but he still regretted it. "I will not raise my fist to you again." His lips quirked at the edges as he added, "At least not in anger."

Cam's smile, far more visible than Teal'c's, was the first real one he'd had since this had started. He leaned in closer, still a little unsure, but then the intrinsic stubbornness took over, his eyes dropping to Teal'c's lips, giving away his intentions. The first kiss was as awkward as the conversation had been, full of Cam's determination to try for this even if he might fail. It was the same persistence that had let him win Teal'c back to SG-1. The same one that had won him altogether, and Teal'c kissed back with matching need, the awkwardness fading into familiarity as they learned each others' planes, how to tilt their heads just so to let the kiss linger, both of them breathing heavily when they finally let go.

_Beauty is only skin deep_

With his face flushed, his lips kiss-swollen, Teal'c thought that Cam was beautiful. He had a moment of doubt, remembering his graying hair, the deepening lines on his face, and wondered if his own claims at being attractive were too far gone, but the way that Cam was clutching at his shirt, pulling him back for another kiss, seemed to negate that. Only skin deep, he reminded himself before losing his train of thought altogether.

_Life's too short_

Cam apparently had had enough of waiting too, his hands busy roaming Teal'c's body, seeming to know instinctively where the best spots were. Teal'c could only growl his appreciation. He worried that they were moving too fast, thinking that they should at least move from the couch to the bedroom, but then Cam's hand was _there_ , and Teal'c reminded himself that he'd known the other man for decades, after all, even if he was the only one that remembered, and that he'd wasted enough time already. He grinned, knowing Cam wouldn't understand what it was for, but as he was also very pleased with what was being done to his dick, he didn't think it really mattered.

_Silence is golden_

It was almost as much a wrestling match as it was sex, and it was over far too fast, but Cam looked dazedly happy afterwards, his shirt half-rucked up his chest, drying come painting his stomach. His smile didn't even waver when he fell off the couch. Teal'c, more than a little pleased himself, peered over the edge of the cushions to make sure he was okay, and Cam patted the floor beside him in tacit invitation, one which Teal'c was also more than pleased to accept. They lay there together, neither of them saying a thing, a comfortable silence.

Cam rolled to his side, facing him. He twined a hand in one of Teal'c's, resting them both on Teal'c's chest, like a token of the acceptance between them.

_Good things come to those who wait_

Teal'c might have wished that he'd done this long ago, might have mourned the time he'd wasted, but he couldn't be bothered to feel regret past the pleasure that filled him, letting go of the future he'd had for the one he'd just made. He rubbed his thumb over Cam's, a small intimacy that was now his to enjoy.

"Feels good," Cam murmured.

"Indeed."

/story

**Author's Note:**

> The title's from MacBeth, when Lady MacBeth is exhorting him to action, and asks him _Letting 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would,' Like the poor cat i' the adage?_ , which fits the story in the move towards action, and in the adages. ;)


End file.
